Happy Holi! (It's a a holiday here)
This was a long day. We were awakened early by room service delivering a breakfast and appeared before port officials to match face to passport. At 7am our group dashed off the ship, boarded a bus and bounced through the terminal and into Mumbai. What an eyeful. Many old buildings dating back to the 20's or earlier, now seedy and crying for restoration to their former glory. The streets were busy already with people buying breakfast, jogging, going somewhere or just watching others.
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| Police Band welcomed us at the pier |
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| man selling paint for Holi |
Our trip was an hour long and ended at the Mumbai airport where we worked through security, still tight after the terrorist attacks, and boarded a Jet Lite flight to Agra, arriving at noon. The airport is a military base, austere and secure. Into a bus again, which was fine as it had air conditioning and the temp was 94
º. Along the way to the Hotel ITC (India Tobacco Company) Mughal we got a good glimpse at the holiday revelers, this being Sunday and the festival of Holi. The tradition is paint throwing so most people were sporting splotches of red, purple or green paint on their faces and clothing. (Most use a soluble base paint that washes off.) I spotted some kids with water guns, obviously loaded with paint, waiting for opportunities to come by. Many people were in the streets and horse carts, camel carts, tri-shaws and tuk-tuks (3 wheel motor taxis) were competing with a tourist bus for road space. Cows and water buffaloes wandered down the streets freely. Dogs were everywhere. More for the eye.
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| note paint on boy #3 |
We stopped for refreshment at the hotel then boarded electric buses for a short ride to the Taj Mahal, where we got off and walked a block to the entrance, went through security screening and entered. Fortunately for us the crowds were light so we were able to hear our guide explain the grounds, buildings and history. We explored the outer buildings and courtyards then made our way through the portico to the magnificent Taj Mahal, completed in 1653. The view brought us to a halt, just as the view of the terra cotta warriors at Xi'an had. Magnificent and awesome, impressive and amazing. Startling and beautiful. A profound experience. Www.whc.unesco.org/en/list/252 .
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| Inner gate at Taj |
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| inside view of inner gate |
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| view from Taj |
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| Guest House at Taj |
The group returned to the Mughal hotel for lunch then we packed off for more adventure. The next stop was Fort Agra which was much more busy. This fort is more like a walled city and sits only 2.5 km from the Taj Mahal. It was first mentioned in 1080 AD, was heavily destroyed then re-built in 1573 with the red sandstone we see today. This was once the seat of government. Today, the military still uses a portion of the complex and that part is off limits. Www.whc.unesco.org/en/list/251 .
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| a herd of buffalo free on the street |
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| Fort Agra |
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| View of Taj Mahal from Fort Agra |
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| Inside gate at Fort Agra |
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| scene in Agra |
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| Scene in Agra |
After this visit we waded through the hawkers outside the gate and hopped aboard our bus. The bus is marked with a blue band around it and in the middle, a blue circle with the word TOURIST in it. It rather looks like a target. We took the seats forward of the target. We were offered and accepted a short stop at the inlay factory which has some 2000 workers creating beautiful marble carvings and inlay work; mostly for export. We met a member of the family and got an great tour of the facilities, including a huge replica of the Taj Mahal built piece by piece in the factory. That is not for sale but remains a piece of pride. Back top the airport in the dark to await our plane. It was late. Being a military installation, the plane that brought us couldn't wait for our return so it went on the Delhi then returned. We left Agra at 2015 and arrived back in Mumbai at 2200. Back to the ship and aboard at 2330.
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